Abstract :
Introduction: Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a common, chronic condition involving the oral mucosa. The clinical presentations of OLP range from severe painful erosions and ulcerations to mild painless white, keratotic lesions. The buccal mucosa is the most commonly affected site and the involvement is usually bilateral. It is comparatively more common and persistent than the cutaneous form, resulting in considerable morbidity and discomfort for the patient. One of the most serious complications relating to the progression and prognosis of OLP is the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma, which resulted in the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying OLP as a potentially malignant disorder.
Objective: To study the demographic distribution and clinical profile of 50 OLP patients visiting a tertiary care hospital in the north-eastern part of India.
Materials and Methods: A group of 50 patients, comprising of 35 females and 15 males, diagnosed with OLP as per the clinical criteria of the WHO clinical definition of OLP were included in this study.
Results: Among the 50 patients, M:F ratio was 0.42:1. Buccal mucosa was the most common site of OLP occurrence (96%), whereas, the reticular variant of OLP was the most common form (78%), followed by the erosive variant (16%) and the atrophic variant (6%). The incidence of systemic diseases included Hypertension (15%), Diabetes Mellitus (4%) and Hypothyroidism (2%). Histopathologically, epithelial dysplasia was seen in 2 cases.
Conclusion: Most of the results of this study have been found to be in concordance with previous findings, with differences in a few. Since Lichen Planus is a chronic disease, treatment protocols are mainly directed at regulating the symptoms. Long-term follow up is usually very successful in detecting symptomatic aggravation and possible progression into malignancy.
Keyword :
Clinical features, Diagnosis, Lichen Planus, Oral Mucosa.